Up for a refresh is one our favorite phones of last year, the Redmi 2– not to be confused with Redmi *Note* 2.
Why we liked Redmi 2 Pro/Prime
The Xiaomi Redmi 2 (XR2) is small, and powerful enough with its Snapdragon 410 to run Android smoothly. The XR2 supports dual-SIM, and can accept a TF SD. Those who have been following China phones have seen the trend slip towards Single-SIM+TF *or* dual-SIM. In addition, the Redmi 2 has a removable battery.
Unfortunately, it may be the last widely marketed 4.7″ China mobile to be released. Even with all the new releases, we still can recommend the Xiaomi Redmi 2 Pro to the masses if it can be found in the $100 ballpark.
What’s up next
The Xiaomi Redmi 3 is the update to the Redmi 2 and in most areas improves upon its predecessor, though not in all, as we’ll point out below.
| Xiaomi Redmi 3 | Xiaomi Redmi 2 Pro/Prime | |
|---|---|---|
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 MSM8939 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 |
| CPU | big.LITTLE 4-core [email protected] + 4-core [email protected] | 4-core [email protected] |
| GPU | Adreno 405 | Adreno 306 |
| RAM | 2GB | 2GB |
| ROM storage | 16GB | 16GB |
| Display size | 5.0″ | 4.7″ |
| Display resolution | 720P (1280*720) (294PPI) | 720P (1280*720) (312PPI) |
| Battery | 4100mAh enclosed | 2200mAh removable |
| TF-SD expandable | Yes * | Yes |
| Dual-SIM | Yes (*or Single+TF SD) | Yes |
| OTG | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| 2G GSM | 850/900/1800/1900 | 900/1800/1900 |
| 3G WCDMA | 850/900/1900/2100 | 850/1900/2100 |
| 4G | FDD: 1800/2100/2600 (B1/3/7) TDD: (B38/39/40/41) TD-SCDMA: B34/39 CDMA2000: BC0 | FDD: 1800/2600 (B3/7) TDD: B38/39/40/41 |
What could be considered a negative for those who prefer small phones is the slight increase in width and height, though the Redmi does manage to be slightly thinner despite the battery size difference.
The battery is also non-removable in the Redmi 3. At least, not easily. The Redmi 3 can still be opened to replace the internal battery if you happen to still own it a couple years down the road. Mobile tech is improving while prices are decreasing so rapidly, that by the time the battery has lost a significant amount of its staying power, a new similarly specced phone will cost about $50.
Perhaps what might affect people most with the Redmi refresh is it lacks the option to add both TF SD and be Dual-SIM.
We see these possible spec changes as a worthy tradeoff for what the Redmi 3 has improved.
Huge battery: The thing that catches our eye most is the huge upgrade in battery size, nearly doubling last year’s Redmi 2.
Big up in SoC: While the Redmi 2 carried 4-core Cortex-A53, the Redmi 3 sees the Redmi 2 and raises it another [email protected].
This is implemented in a big.LITTLE fashion; the phone will use the [email protected] for lighter loads, and the [email protected] will kick in when required to handle heavy lifting.
The GPU is also a big step up, going from Adreno 306 to Adreno 405. The Snapdragon 616 is the update to the Snapdragon 615 which powers 1080P phones such as the Innos D6000 and Xiaomi Mi4i.
Radio support: Strangely, Xiaomi left GSM 850 and WCDMA 900 off the Redmi 2, but they have rectified that mistake with the Redmi 3. Great news for the whole world, as some rural parts of the Americas, as well as many parts of Asia use GSM 850. For some parts of Europe, the inclusion of WCDMA 900 is a big plus.
The Redmi 3 looks like a beautiful refresh. The game has changed significantly since a year back and the Redmi 2 specs hit the competitive sweet spot by giving commendable power, along with a huge battery and a budget-friendly price tag.
Xiaomi Redmi [email protected]
We will have a head-to-head Xiaomi Redmi 2 vs Redmi 3 benchmark brawl and Xiaomi Redmi 3 review coming up within the next few days.
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